The Whispers Of My Heart

 "Sharma ji, my son has been selected for a master's course in a prestigious management institute in Gujarat." said Mr. Ghosh, my acquaintance, with a bit of dejection.  Congratulations! But why are you in low spirits?" I inquired.  "Sharma ji, I have intense affection for my son. I would not remain happy without him." said Mr. Ghosh, sadly.  Unable to bear the pangs of separation, get over the death of their loved ones, many people go into deep depression.  For the majority, love means :  (a) taking possession of the other.  (b) imposing one's ideas on the other.  (c) expecting the other to behave in consonance with one's  beliefs.  But truly speaking, love means gifting wings, giving complete freedom to the other so that the other can grow, understand life fully without any biased perspective.  I firmly believe that one must cultivate the habit of savouring one's own company.  Only those who can live alone, relish their own c...

 "What exactly is the importance of meditation?" my curious friends often ask me.  Well, meditation has two important purposes.  Broadly speaking, the main constituents of a human being are :  (a) gross body (स्थूल शरीर).  (b) subtle body (सूक्ष्म शरीर).  (c) soul (आत्मा).  The gross body is composed of five basic elements (पंच-भूत) - earth (पृथ्वी), water (जल), fire (तेजस), wind (वायु) and space (आकाश).  The subtle body is the mind.  It is in the form of desires, thoughts, emotions.  The soul or the inner self is the observer.  It is the soul that makes the various body organs, faculties function.  To refresh the bodies - gross as well as subtle - to increase their efficiency, one has to take some hours of good sleep everyday.  Likewise, the soul also needs rest.  Through meditation or by withdrawing the soul from the outside world and reconnecting it with the Source, soul gets re-energized.  Sometime back, I vi...

 "What exactly is the purpose of human life?" I often pose this question to my friends, acquaintances.  Many of my friends want to wallow in wealth, live a king size life.  Some want beautiful, athletic bodies.  An aged acquaintance interestingly opines, "Sir, human beings are sent on Earth so that they may earn well, eat well, drink well, mate well and sleep well."  The opinions may differ, but sadly everybody wants happiness.  Nobody here wants blissfulness!  Though "Happiness" and "Blissfulness" seem synonymous terms, they are opposite poles.  One's happiness is dependent on someone/something.  It is ephemeral in nature.  For example, delicious food brings only fleeting elation.  As soon as the food is polished off, joy vanishes in thin air.  Blissfulness is however a totally different concept.  Simply put, it means "everlasting happiness" not dependent on things/beings.  I firmly believe that every sane, healthy p...

 Renowned mystic Kabirdas ji wrote the following couplet :  साईं इतना दीजिये, जा मे कुटुम समाय ।  मैं भी भूखा न रहूँ, साधु ना भूखा जाय ॥  ( My Lord, kindly give me only that much money which is barely enough to buy food for myself as well as my guests. ) Mangu Dev, a disciple of Kabir ji asked, "Master, why do you want only little wealth from the Lord?  Goddess Lakshmi ji ( Goddess of Wealth ) is His consort. He can gift you copious money." Kabir ji smiled and said, "Mangu, Lord hands out surfeit of riches only to those whom He wants to punish severely. Surplus money invariably brings miseries.  Greed has no end."  Yes, Kabir ji has rightly remarked that "Greed has no end".  Every now and then we encounter incidents that corroborate Kabir ji's reflection.  Illustrious tycoon and former Chairman of Raymond Group, Vijaypat Singhania, ensured that his son Gautam Singhania had all the luxuries of the world, pampered him excessively.  Soon Ga...

After remaining unemployed for some time, I got a job with Punjab State Civil Supplies Corporation (PUNSUP) - a state government organization - albeit on contract basis.  I served this organization for about five years.  My first posting was in Ludhiana which also happens to be my birthplace.  At the Ludhiana Office, I became friends with Pardeep, who was also a new recruit like me.  Ram Mehar was a small tea vendor at some distance from the Office.  I, along with Pardeep, would visit Ram Mehar's kiosk invariably during the lunch time to have a refreshing cup of ginger, tulsi and cinnamon tea.  Ram Mehar knew that I liked less sugar, so he would prepare my tea separately.  Soon he became chummy, often discussed his family problems with me.  After six months, I was transferred back to the Head Office, Chandigarh where I was deputed in the Accounts & Audit Branch.  One day, while taking a stroll in Sector 34 during lunch time, I was astonis...

 A former Chief Minister of Bihar, famous for his antics, came from a poor family.  But instead of making the lives of penurious better, he misused his position and amassed lot of unethical money.  Although most of our government officers, politicians had humble origins, sadly they have become megalomaniac, callous.  They ensconce themselves in air conditioner rooms, amidst all the luxuries and have lost touch with the commoners, ground realities.  The following write-up of mine is dedicated to a dutiful bank officer.  With the death of my father in law - an Indian Air Force Officer, my mother in law was entitled to the family pension.  I prepared the required documents and submitted them to the appropriate authorities.  Once, in connection with some rectification in the fixation of pension, I went to Mr. Rahi, a young officer with the State Bank Of India, Air force station branch, Chandigarh.  I pointed out the goof to him, requested him to ...

 Some people leave lasting imprints on one's life, mould one's personality.  Memories of such persons refuse to fade away.  Professor. K. L. Virmani taught us English at D.A.V. College, Chandigarh.  He was not only an erudite teacher, but also a renowned poet.  A handsome, simple, straight forward, he never shared his griefs with anyone.  Instead he chose words to vent his feelings.  His collection of poems titled "Springtime Raptures" became enormously popular.  Though he interacted with his colleagues/students, he was basically a loner, savoured his solitude.  I was fortunate to spend considerable time with him, gained his insights about life.  Once I met him at the Indian Coffee House, Sector 17 where he gave me an invaluable lesson, "Son, it is only by keeping oneself far from the madding crowd that one can attain something worthwhile."  While pursuing my post-graduation from Panjab University, I often had my lunch at G.C. Chatt...